Falling
by AutumnUndine
Summary: Short fic about how Jess & Sam meet and start falling in love. Not mine, the Wonderful World of Winchester belongs to Kripke.


Jess looked up and smiled

Jess looked up and smiled. He was here again – same table and set up as always – right at the back, a big old empty desk with his laptop in front of him and law books scattered around. There were ink stains on his hands and he was frowning at a page, spinning a pen with one hand nervously as he studied. She'd been working at the campus library for a few months, trying to earn some extra money, and she'd noticed him right from that first night, when he'd helped her pick up her book bag. Jess sighed as she remembered his broad smile and the way her stomach had fluttered when his warm blue-green eyes met hers. She'd been smitten from that moment, but had never been able to gather up the courage to talk to him – usually guys approached her, so she had no idea what to do or say.

_Come on, get it together girl – just go over there!_ She thought, steeling herself.

Sam glanced up nervously, sneaking a peek at the gorgeous blonde sorting books at the counter. _Jess_. Such a simple name: it hardly did her justice. He'd first noticed her a few months before, when he'd helped her pick up her book bag. Sam sighed when he remembered her sweet smile and soft blue eyes. He'd been coming to the library every night since, in the hope of seeing her. It hadn't taken long to figure out what hours she worked, but he still came at other times so that it wasn't obvious. Sam groaned softly. It was pathetic, really. He could just imagine what Dean would say if he were here – Sam shook his head roughly. Thinking about Dean made him think of Dad, and remember the fight they'd had before he left. That was the reason he couldn't just go up to the girl and ask her out – he'd have to lie to her constantly, about his family and his past, and Jess deserved better than that.

"Err, would you like me to put this one away for you? Someone, um, someone else must have left it here, it doesn't err, well, really fit in with law," Jess said awkwardly, saying the first thing that came to mind.

"Jess!" Sam said, losing the power of logical thought for a moment when he realised she was actually speaking to him for the first time.

"How do you know my name?" Jess hadn't actually meant to say that, but her brain hadn't managed to catch up to her mouth yet, and she was genuinely surprised that Mystery Boy knew her name when no-one else seemed to know his.

"It's, um, ah, on your name tag." _And it's been on my mind for months._

"Oh, right, of course. Stupid question. Anyway, would you like me to get rid of this?" Jess replied, blushing. _Stupid, stupid, stupid!!_ She held up the book in question – _Demonology: A Study of Demon Hierarchy_.

It was Sam's turn to blush. He hadn't really meant to grab that book, but someone had put it back in the wrong place, in the law section, and he hadn't been able to resist – he'd never seen it before, and something in him still longed to destroy the thing that had killed his mother and ruined his family. "Err, yeah, I didn't even notice that one – don't worry, I'll put it away when I put these others back."

Jess laughed. "Don't be silly, it's my job." She held the book to her chest, seemed to hesitate for a moment, then shook her blonde locks and walked away. "I'll, um, see you later I guess."

It wasn't until she was half way across the room did Sam realise he hadn't even told her his name. _Stupid, stupid, stupid!_ Although, to be fair, he'd still been trying to stop himself from drooling at her sweet, melodious laugh, which even now was replaying itself in his memory, and he knew it would haunt his dreams. He groaned, putting his head in his hands. There was no way he'd be able to focus on study now, it would be better to pack up and go to bed, get an early start on it in the morning.

Sam packed up his things and started returning books to shelves. Just as he was putting the last one away, he heard a low growl coming from a row to his left. His training kicked in, and he carefully crept closer to the sound, removing his knife from an inner jacket pocket as he did so. Soon, he was at the edge of the row from where the sound was originating. He peeked around warily, then hurriedly returned the knife to his pocket.

"Would you like a hand with that?" he asked Jess, who was evidently trying to return his book to the top shelf, but, being too short to reach, had resorted to attempting to climb the shelves. She had been the source of the sound, a low growl of frustration emitting from her throat. At the sound of his voice, she slipped, startled.

Sam saw her start to fall, and rushed over. He caught her, his arms wrapping themselves around her midriff. "How about I put that away for you?" he said with a smile, plucking the hardcover from her hands and leaning over her to carefully place it on the shelf. It was only when she turned to face him that he realised how close his body was to hers.

The smaller girl smiled. "And what, pray tell, is the name of my gallant hero?"

Sam gulped nervously, but returned her smile with one of his own. "Some people call me Sasquatch, but my real name's Sam."

Jess stepped back slightly, giving herself a few more inches in height by stepping onto the lip of the bottom shelf. She raised herself to her tiptoes, and gave him a soft kiss on the cheek. "Thanks, Sam."

With that, she carefully turned away from him and started walking back to her desk, a cheshire grin on her face. _Ball's in your court now, Sam._

Sam stood for a few moments, frozen, then raised his hand to where her lips had touched. _She kissed me!_ He stood for another moment, indecisive, then decided to let his 'inner Dean' take over.

Jess looked up. Sam was walking towards her in a slow, lazy stroll, a broad smile on his face. "I was just wondering, is there any chance that a hero could take a damsel in distress out for dinner sometime? Say, tomorrow night?"

Jess bit her lip, trying to hide her smile. "I think that could be arranged. Pick me up at six? I'm in room 32A."

_And the rest, as they say, is history._


End file.
